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45 boxed wines ranked from best to worst

If you’re trying to drink wine on a budget and you’re not drinking boxed wine, you’re missing out.

Boxed wine has long been one of the most maligned wines in the industry, even though it’s always been the more affordable and environmentally friendly option. In the past few years, boxed wine has grown into a compelling genre of its own, reaching beyond the familiar Franzia and Carlo Rossi to include European brands and even local Oregon and Washington wineries.

On a recent fateful evening with the upcoming winter holidays in mind, we sat down and blind-sampled 45 boxed wines -- 19 white and 26 red wines -- to bring you this ranked guide to the best and the worst wines available at major grocery stores across the city.

For both reds and whites, we tried to buy the same variety. Most of the whites are pinot grigio, with a handful of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay (not our favorite) mixed in, depending on what producers offered. Reds are mostly cabernet sauvignon with an occasional merlot, pinot noir or Italian/Spanish variety.

Wines were purchased from Fred Meyer, QFC, New Seasons, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. We found the most wines at Fred Meyer and QFC, which both had a sale running when we bought the wines. The price/bottle calculations are based on what we paid, but may vary when you make your purchase.

Here's our guide to every boxed wine we could find at major grocery stores, ranked from best to worst.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

White wine (ranked from best to worst)

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

BEST: Provisions Pinot Gris, 3L (Fred Meyer)

To be honest, we weren’t really wowed by any of the white wines, but we found this boxed wine to be crisp, refreshing and the most straight-from-the-bottle convincing. Pour this one for company and they might not know the difference.

Price per bottle: $3.77Price per box: $15.11

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

House Wine Chardonnay, 3L (Fred Meyer)

This fruity, easy-drinking white with a hint of coconut would be a great happy hour pour.

Price per bottle: $3.59Price per box: $14.39

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Franzia Vintner Select Chardonnay, 5L (Fred Meyer)

Color us surprised. The wine we thought would make a great porch-drinking wine was none other than Franzia, the “world’s most popular wine” that’s a particular favorite for college drinking games like slap the bag and the eponymous Tour de Franzia.